Tissue level lymphocyte subpopulations in donovanosis.

Total T-, B-, T4-, and T8-lymphocyte populations were estimated in tissue sections of ulcers from 22 donovanosis patients, comprising 17 ulcerogranulomatous, four hypertrophic, and one sclerotic variants, using monoclonal antibodies and immunohistochemical technique (PAP). T- and B-lymphocytic infiltrations in the tissues were almost identical, without any significant difference in ulcerogranulomatous and hypertrophic variants. The T4:T8 ratio in ulcerogranulomatous variants, however, was 1.41, which was significantly higher than that of hypertrophic variants (1.28), indicating a greater cell-mediated immune response in the former than in the latter. This is substantiated by the documentation of a paucity of Donovan bodies, both in the tissue smear and slow (overnight) Giemsa-stained tissue sections, in the ulcerogranulomatous variant.